One-revolution clutch and stop means



Aug. 28, 1962 C. F. WEST ETAL ONE-REVOLUTION CLUTCH AND STOP MEANSOriginal Filed Jan. 22, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS CLIFTON F. WESTWILLIAM F. HE JESSE B. WETHINGTON BY ,%M

ATTORNEY Aug. 28, 1962 c. F. WEST ETAL 3,051,285

ONE-REVOLUTION CLUTCH AND STOP MEANS Original Filed Jan. 22, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 2 TI w 7:? I b 1 I INVENTORs CLIFTON vF WEST \WILLIAM ERHEM Y Y JESSE B. wrgmNeToN BY 719M077 ATTORNEY 3,851,285 Patented Aug.28, 1962 3 051,285 ONE-REVOLUTIGN GLUTCH AND STOP MEANS Clifton F. West,Jesse B. Wethington, and William F. Rhem, Kinston, N.C.

Original application Jan. 22, 1957, Ser. No. 635,481, new Patent No.2,876,610, dated Mar. 10, 1959. Divided and this application Jan. 8,1959, Ser. No. 785,735

2 Claims. (Cl. 192-148) This invention relates to automatic mechanisms,and more particularly to that type of mechanism commonly known as aone-revolution clutch.

Devices of this nature are intended to be interposed between a drivingmember and a driven shaft, and are so designed that, after eachactuation of the clutch to render it operative to transmit power fromthe driving member to the driven shaft, the clutch is automaticallydisconnected when such shaft has made one complete revolution.

The present application is a division of our prior copending applicationSerial Number 635,481, filed January 22, 1957, now Patent No. 2,876,610,granted March 10, 1959.

One object of the invention is to provide electrically operated meansfor controlling the clutch, such means being so designed that theactuation of the clutch to transmit power is effected by the momentaryclosing of a circuit.

A further object is to provide means whereby the operating circuit,having once been closed, is maintained closed until opened by themovement of the driven shaft.

Still another and important object of the invention is to devise meanswhereby the driven shaft, upon each operation, is arrested accuratelyafter one revolution, in the precise position from which it started.

With the above and other objects in view, and to improve generally onthe operation of such devices, the invention consists in theconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one form of our improved mechanism;

FIG. 2 is a sectional plan thereof, some parts being broken away, andother parts being omitted;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the circuits and control means employed;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modified form of ourimproved mechanism, parts being omitted for the sake of clearness; and

FIG. 5 is a detailed longitudinal section on an enlarged scale throughone of the parts shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and more particularly first toFIGS. 1, 2 and 3 thereof, our improved mechanism comprises a shaft 1mounted in bearings 2. In line with the shaft 1 is a second shaft 3supported in bearings 4, these hearings 2 and 4 resting on a base 5which in turn is carried by a platform 6 supported in any suitable way.Secured to the shaft 3 between the bearings 4 is a pulley 8 driven by abelt 9 from an electric noto7r 10. The whole mechanism is enclosed in ahousing Secured to the inner end of the shaft 3 is a clutch disc 11,which may be held to the shaft as by means of a set screw 12. Parallelwith and spaced from the clutch disc 11 is a stationary brake disc 13supported by means of an angle iron frame 14. This brake disc has anopening in its center, and through this opening passes a sleeve 15,having at its free end a disc 16 disposed between the two discs 11 and13 and adapted to engage alternately with both of them. The sleeve isslidably mounted on the shaft 1 as by means of a key 17. Surrounding thesleeve .15 is any suitable type of a combined rotary and thrust bearingcomprising an inner race 18 secured to the sleeve as by means of a setscrew 19, and an outer race 20. Radially projecting from this outer race26 is a pin 21 to which is secured one end of a spring 22, the other endof this spring being anchored to a fixed support 23, preferably carriedby the bearing 2.

Pivotally connected with the pin 21 is the upper end of .a lever 24pivoted near its lower end at 25 to a fixed support. Rig-id with thelever 24 is another lever 24 pivotally mounted on the same pin 25 andconnected at its lower end to the core 26 of a solenoid 27.

A switch box 28 is secured to the fixed support 23 and contains a switchoperated by arm 29, which may be of any suitable type. This arm isadapted to be engaged and actuated by a cam 30 secured to the shaft 1.

In the diagram, FIG. 3, the wires leading to the source of supply areshown at 34 and 35. In one or both of these wires is inserted a manualswitch 36 for controlling the motor. The motor 10 is shown as connectedacross the wires 34 and 35.

A switch 37 which is mounted at any convenient place is provided with anactuating arm 38, preferably having a roller 39 at the end thereof. ABowden wire 40 extending from any suitable operating device, isconnected with a bar 48' slidably mounted in brackets 42 and having atone end a coil spring 41 which holds the bar at its extreme position.Pivotally mounted on the bar 40 is a finger 43 adapted to engage theroller 39 and swing the arm 38 on its pivot in such a manner as to closethe switch. A conductor 44 connects the positive wire 34 with the switchin box 28 operated by arm 29, and from this switch extends a conductorto one side of the solenoid 27. From the other side of this solenoidextends a wire 45 to one side of a relay 46, and from the other side ofthis relay extends a wire 47 to one side of the switch 37, the otherside of which is connected by conductor 48 to the negative wire 35. Therelay has an armature 50, connected to the wire 48 by means of aconductor 49, and the armature is adapted to engage a contact 51connected with one side of the relay winding and with the wire 47.

The operation of the mechanism, as so far described, is as follows.

When a pull is exerted on the Bowden Wire 40 this in turn will cause thebar 40 (FIG. 3) to slide forwardly and thus cause the finger 43 toengage and swing the switch arm 38 on its pivot. This closes the switch37 and the relay 46 will thus be energized over the wires 45, 47 and 48.This moves the armature into engagement with the contact 51, thusestablishing a shunt around the switch 37, and maintaining the relay 46energized through the conductor 49. Current then flows from the main 34through wire 44, switch 29, solenoid 27, wire 45, relay 46, contact 51,armature 50, and wires 49 and 48, thus energizing the solenoid 27.

Meanwhile, the motor 10, shown in FIG. 2, drives the wheel 8continuously, so that the clutch disc 11 is constantly driven.Energization of the solenoid 27 causes it to draw in it core 26 andswing the lever 24, 24 on its pivot. This, acting through the bearing20, moves the sleeve 15 and disc 16 toward the right, as viewed in FIG.2 into frictional engagement with the clutch disc 11. The disc 16 whichis keyed to the shaft 1 thus begins to turn. Assuming, by way ofexample, that the one-revolution clutch mechanism is employed to producea single stroke of some reciprocating element, a crank arm 31 is rigidlysecured to the end of shaft 1, and a connecting rod 32 joins this crankwith a bar 33 connected with the reciprocating element. The normalposition of the crank 31 is as shown in FIG. 1 so that when the shaft 1turns, this crank moves in such a manner as to thrust the connecting rod32 and bar 33 suddenly downwardly.

The shaft 1 and crank 31 continue to revolve so that as soon as thereciprocating element has made its downward stroke, as before described,it is immediately moved upwardly again to its original starting point.In other words, the crank 31 at each actuation of the solenoid makes onecomplete revolution. As it reaches its original position the cam 30 onthe shaft 1 trips the switch arm 29 and thus breaks the circuit ofsolenoid 27. When the solenoid is thus de-energized the spring 22 drawsthe disc 16 back into engagement with the fixed braking disc 13, thusstopping the shaft 1 in a position at which the crank 31 is at the topof its movement, as shown in FIG. 1.

The mechanism above described thus constitutes a onerevolution clutchcontrolled by the solenoid 27 and interposed between the constantlyrunning motor and the crank 31, so that, upon energization of thesolenoid, the crank makes one complete revolution and then stops, withall of the associated parts in their original position.

The arrangement of the switch and relay shown in FIG. 3 is important.When the bar 40 slides forwardly, the finger 43 swings the switch arm38, and immediately the finger slips off of the roller 39, thusreleasing the switch arm. The momentary closing of the switch 37energizes the relay 46 which thereupon maintains its own circuit and thecircuit through the solenoid 27 until the switch 29 is tripped open-bythe cam 30 as above described. Thus it is immaterial how long the pullon the Bowden wire is maintained. The pull on this wire merely causes amomentary closure of the switch 37, which then snaps back to itsoriginal open position. .By virtue of this arrangement, it will be seenthat even if the pull on the Bowden wire should be maintainedindefinitely no harm would be done, since the reciprocating elementwould make a single stroke only and then stop.

Although the mechanism above described is theoretically operativeaccurately, we have found in practice that there is a tendency for thedisc 16, due to its momentum, to slip a little on the fixed braking disc13, and that this braking disc sometimes fails to stop the disc 16exactly in the desired position. To overcome this, we have devisedpositive stop means for absolutely preventing any possible overrunningof the disc 16 and' shaft 1.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the solenoid operates a crank arm 24" pivotedat 25 to a fixed support 25 and rigidly connected with a lever 24,extended upwardly as at 53, and bent over to form an arm 54. A pin 21 isset into the lever 24 and also into the thrust bearing 20, as before,and a spring 22 is secured at one end of the pin 21 and at the other endto a fixed support.

At its free end the arm 54 is connected with one end of a spring 55, theother end of which is attached to a lug secured to a lever 56 pivoted at57 to a fixed support 52. Near the opposite end of this lever is anotherlug 58 to which one end of a third spring 59 is attached, the other endof the spring 59 being secured to a fixed support, Secured, as bywelding, to the upper end of the lever 56 is a cylinder 60 in which isenclosed a compression spring 61, and, in the end of the cylinder isslidably mounted a plunger 62, the same being secured by means of ascrew 63 passing through a slot 64. Thus the plunger 62 is resilientlysupported and urged outwardly by the spring 61.

When in the full line position shown in FIG. 4, the plunger 62 registerswith and is arranged to engage an 4, abutment 65 carried at the upperend of a crank arm 31', secured to shaft 1. When the solenoid 27 isenergized and the lever 24, 54 swung on its pivot, the clutch is engagedas in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the shaft 1 is driven.

At the same instant, the lever 24, 54, acting through the spring 55,swings the lever 56 to the right as viewed in FIG. 4, thus shifting thecylinder 60 and plunger 62 into the position shown in dotted lines inFIG. 4, in which position it is out of line with the abutment 65. Thisleaves this abutment and the crank arm 31' free to turn, and the crankarm begins to revolve. When the cam 30 actuates the switch arm 29 tooperate the switch 28 and de-energizes the solenoid, as beforedescribed, the spring 22, which is stronger than the spring 55, movesthe angle lever 24, 54 so as to relax tension on the spring 55. At thesame time, the spring 59 swings the lever 56 about its pivot back tofull line position Where it is stopped by the projection 52 and wherethe plunger 62 is in the path of movement of the abutment 65. Thisabutment therefore impinges against the plunger 62 which constitutes apositive stop element for arresting the crank arm in the exact positionfrom which it started. Thus, our improved mechanism provides means foraccurately arresting the movement of the crank arm in identically thesame position after it has made each single revolution.

What we claim is:

1. A clutch mechanism comprising a driving shaft, a driven shaft havinga crank arm fixed thereto, a connecting rod pivotally secured to saidcrank arm interengaging clutch elements positively secured to saiddriving and driven shafts, a stop element normally lying in the plane ofrevolution of said crank arm, mechanically interconnected means forbringing said clutch elements into engagement and for simultaneouslyshifting said stop element to a position out of the plane of revolutionof said crank arm, whereby the latter is free to rotate, and automaticmeans brought into operation by said driven shaft as it completes onrevolution, for disengaging said clutch elements and simultanteouslyrestoring said stop element to its normal position in which said crankarm impinges against it and is arrested.

2. A clutch mechanism comprising a driving shaft, a driven shaft havinga crank arm fixed thereto, interengaging clutch elements positivelysecured to said driving and driven shafts, a stop element normally lyingin the path of rotary movement of said crank arm, a singleelectromagnetically operated means for bringing said clutch elementsinto engagement and for simultaneously shifting said stop element to aposition out of the path of movement of said crank arm, means inaddition to said crank arm for maintaining said stop element in suchposition while said crank arm revolves, means brought into action bysaid driven shaft as it completes one revolution for de-energizing saidelectromagnetic means,

' and spring means operating upon the de-energization of saidelectromagnetic means for disengaging said clutch elements andsimultaneously restoring said stop element to its normal position, sothat said crank arm impinges against it and is arrested in a definiteposition.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,548,440 Boyd et al Aug. 4, 1925 1,687,587 Pearne et a1 Oct. 16, 19281,815,152 Klotz July 21, 1931 2,065,820 Mellon Dec. 29, 1936 2,234,909Arey et a1. Mar. 11, 1941 2,860,748 Tur e e at .c No 18, 1.958

